HERIAN News

A 'pre-election' rally with a difference on the 12^th April marked the start of a new drive to commemorate and celebrate the key role that Industrial South Wales played in the creation of modern British democracy.

As voters prepare to go to the polls in the forthcoming Assembly elections, costumed characters took to the streets to remind them how ordinary 19^th century working men from across South Wales helped to secure the right to vote in the first place.

Actors, (L-R) Julien Evans, Debra John and Andrew Moorman take to the streets backed by HERIAN to demonstrate the Chartist movement in the 19^th Century.

Under the slogan 'Dying to Vote,' the actors, representing the ghosts of the Chartists who campaigned for the vote for ordinary men, challenged passers-by to make use of their hard-won democratic rights on polling day.

Behind the eye-catching street theatre in Newport and Cardiff is HERIAN – Heritage in Action partnership, which is working with local authorities and other interested groups to achieve widespread recognition for the major part that Industrial South Wales played in the Chartist movement.

The aim is to boost interest in the South Wales Chartists, whose bloody uprising at Newport in 1839 was one of the major milestones on the path to today's democratic system.

The campaign is designed to highlight the links across the region with this historic battle for the ballot. This is likely to include widespread and high-profile interpretation points that tell the story of the people and places involved in these historic events.

HERIAN has created a special website – www.chartismwales.org - to boost interest in the Chartists and invite potential supporters of this new drive to register their support.

During this month there will be a series of interpretation events, designed to help people understand the huge role that people from South Wales played in shaping British history.

Several key organisations have also come together to stage a groundbreaking 'Chartist Family History' day at Newport Library on April 30, designed to help people find family links to the Chartist story or bring forward new information about the era.

Said Kim Colebrook, Interpretation Specialist for HERIAN, a partnership which includes 13 local authorities plus leisure, academic, conservation and historic bodies: “Chartism was absolutely central to British history, and South Wales was right at the very heart of that movement.”

HERIAN's Kim Colebrook helps actors (L-R) Julien Evans, Debra John and Andrew Moorman demonstrate the truth behind the chartist movement in the 19^th Century.

“This is a priceless piece of our past and it is something the region should be recognised for. It is vital that we embrace this legacy and claim the right to tell this amazing story for residents and visitors alike,” she added.

The current campaign – which is starting in the weeks leading up to the Assembly elections – has the dual objective of celebrating history and urging electors to go out and use the vote that was won for them by the Chartists.

At the last Assembly election only 38% of people bothered to vote, while turnouts at UK general elections have been falling consistently over the years.

HERIAN will be seeking funding to support projects that will cement the link between Industrial South Wales and the Chartists, through a variety of interpretations, memorials, re-enactments and education programmes.

Further information from Eoghan Mortell 029 2948 8778 or 07977 555116